Texans' J.J. Watt out for season with tibial plateau fracture

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) lays on the field hurt during the first quarter of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) lays on the field hurt during the first quarter of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

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Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) lays on the field hurt during the first quarter of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) lays on the field hurt during the first quarter of an NFL football game at NRG Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle

Texans' J.J. Watt out for season with tibial plateau fracture

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Grimacing in obvious pain and getting around on crutches, Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt boarded an ambulance Sunday night.

It was already obvious that Watt would receive bad news at the hospital.

Watt was later diagnosed with a tibial plateau fracture of his left leg, a break at the top of the shin bone within the knee joint.

It's a devastating injury to his left knee that ends his season and will require surgery to repair the damage. He was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.

"I feel terrible for the guy," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "Just knowing the type of guy that he is, he's an amazing human being. He's an amazing human being and he will work extremely hard to be back, to be back to play for this football team. I know that."

Although it's unclear if Watt has sustained damage to his anterior cruciate ligament, former San Diego Chargers team doctor David Chao told The Chronicle that this injury is considered more serious than a torn ACL.

It's not regarded as a career-ending injury, though.

"Freak injury. Worse than ACL," Chao said. "Anticipate six-month recovery. Should not be career-ending but some worry for long-term arthritis."

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Houston Texans star J.J. Watt injured his knee during Sunday night's game against the Chiefs. He was loaded into an ambulance and his girlfriend Kealia Ohai was in there with him.

Media: Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle

Watt was rolling on the turf at NRG Stadium after getting hurt in the first quarter against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Watt was rushing the passer while being blocked when his left leg buckled underneath him.

It was obvious immediately that he had suffered a serious injury.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was helped off the field by trainers and was unable to put any weight on his damaged leg.

Watt went under a blue tent on the sideline to be examined before being carted off the field. He had his leg at an angle on the cart due to the discomfort of the injury.

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As Watt left the stadium, his girlfriend, injured Houston Dash forward Kealia Ohai, was with him.

Before this latest injury, Watt had made a healthy return from a pair of back surgeries that forced him onto injured reserve last season.

This is the latest setback for Watt, whose injury severely damages the Texans' defense.

"Anytime you lose any player, obviously a player of J.J.'s stature it's always tough, but you got to continue to move on because the game doesn't stop for anyone," veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. "So, we'll adjust as a team and move forward and get better."

Watt recorded no sacks in four games and one quarter this season as he consistently commanded double-team blocking attention from opponents.

For the season, Watt has 13 tackles, three for losses, two passes defended and five quarterback hits.

When Watt left the game, the Texans shifted Pro Bowl selection Jadeveon Clowney to left defensive end from outside linebacker and inserted Brennan Scarlett at outside linebacker.

With Watt out for the season along with outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus with a torn pectoral muscle, the Texans have to regroup defensively.

"Those guys are amazing," Scarlett said. "My job backing them up is to make sure there's no fall-off. It's my job to make sure that I prepare every day to fill those shoes.

"You hate to see those guys go down. They're good players and great guys. They love what they do. To not be able to do it with us, it hurts them and it hurts us as well."

The Texans will rely heavily on Clowney and inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney to provide a pass rush.

"Loss for words," Covington said. "You see two of our defensive guys, two of the leaders on this team go down, it's going to hurt. It took me by surprise just to see those guys go down. At the end of the day, I'm praying for them. It goes back down to the 'Next man up' mentality. It's football, man. You just feel bad. Those are your brothers on the field.

"It's going to hurt. It's going to be challenging. At the end of the day, it's J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Those are two of the best defenders in the NFL. You can't look at it like that. You can't really dwell on the caliber of player."

It was an emotional drain for the Texans inside their locker room with the loss of Watt and Mercilus. There was a sense, too, that they were working on turning the page.